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OregonSaves Edging Closer to Being Live

OregonSaves, the state-run auto-IRA program for private-sector workers, is not quite launched yet, but the pieces are falling into place.

OregonSaves will begin operation in July 2017. The Oregon Retirement Savings Board has provided a report on preliminary work that is being done in preparation for the system.

Website

A new public website for OregonSaves is now live that includes general information about the program as well as specific information for savers and employers.

Pilot Programs

Pilot employers will get early access to the program, receive hands-on assistance through the process and help ensure that the program works well. Pilot employers will begin payroll deductions for employees who participate starting in July, after the 30-day enrollment period ends.

Eleven employers were selected for the first pilot program; they successfully completed the registration process for OregonSaves. Dozens of employers are scheduled to join the second pilot program, for which registration will begin in August.

Roll Out

OregonSaves is scheduled to roll out in phases starting with larger employers. The registration deadlines for employers with the following numbers of employees are as follows:

00 or more: Nov. 15, 2017

50 to 99: May 15, 2018

20 to 49: Dec. 15, 2018

10 to 19: May 15, 2019

five to nine: Nov. 15, 2019

four or fewer: May 15, 2020

Employers with a deadline of Nov. 15, 2017:

can expect to receive notice about the program from the state starting in July;

in October will receive another notice with instructions about how to either register with the program or certify their exemption from it; and

will have until Nov. 15, 2017 to complete the registration or certification process; payroll deductions for employees of businesses that register by that date will begin in January 2018.

Rules

The first stage of the rulemaking process for the program is complete; the first set of rules can be found here. A second stage of rulemaking starting in June will consider technical matters the first set of rules did not address, such as the process for joint employment circumstances.

The Oregon Retirement Savings Board had approved the final rules for the program in late April; Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read said the state would continue pursuing OregonSaves, the state-run auto-IRA program for private sector workers even though President Trump signed legislation that overturns the Obama administration’s ERISA safe harbor rule for state-run auto-IRA programs for private-sector workers.

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The National Tax-Deferred Savings Association is a non-profit professional society.
The materials contained herein are intended for instruction only and are not a substitute for professional advice.
Copyright 2017 by NTSA